St John's CofE Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 04/02/2005 Inspector Name Alison Joan Wadley

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care, Sessional Day Care Setting Name Little Sweethearts Montessori School Setting Address St Saviours Church Hall Warwick Avenue London W9 2PT

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Little Sweethearts Montessori Nursery School is situated in a Church Hall in W9. There is full Day Care : 8.55 am - 4.15pm and sessional Care : Morning Session 8.55am - 12pm and an afternoon Session : 1.15pm - 3.45pm. The premises are located in the lower ground floor of a Church Hall in Maida Vale. The play space consists of a large hall, classroom, kitchen, office, staff room and toilets. There is no outside play space at this setting. Children are taken out on a regular basis to nearby parks and to a local school which provides a private play space for a set time each day. There are funded 3 and 4 year olds attending the nursery with support from the Early Years Advisory team. Children attend who have English as an additional language. There are 12 members of staff including the proprietor who is ex- ratio. There are 7 Montessori trained staff, one NNEB, one PSLA, one with a Teaching Diploma from South America and two untrained staff.

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The children at Little Sweethearts Montessori School are making very good progress overall. The leadership and management of the nursery is very good overall and managers are committed to providing good quality education for the children. The settings ability to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education is generally good and Montessori teaching method allows for a wide scope of learning through first hand experiences. The quality of teaching is very good overall. Staff are trained Montessori practitioners and for the most part, integrate this well into the stepping stones for children's learning in the foundation stage. Behaviour is well managed and the children confident in their environment. Staff question the children appropriately and offer stimulating discussions and resources which engage the children's interest. Planning is generally very effective and is based on individual children's ability.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Resources are well accessed by the children but books and role play opportunities are currently understated and there are limited positive images to support equal opportunities in everyday play. Despite this, the children progress well through the curriculum and staff are on hand to support and capitalise on opportunities to extend the children's interests in a given area. Good support is given to those children who may have special needs and for those who have English as an additional language. The nursery gives priority to working with parents and carers and aims to involve them in activities where possible. Parents are well informed of the curriculum and of their child's progress through the stepping stones. They receive regular reports and are able to meet with staff to support consistency of learning.

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What is being done well?

• Choice and independence is encouraged and works well through the Montessori methods used to extend children's learning. • At its best, teaching enables children to progress well through the stepping stones and staff are on hand to support and capitalise on opportunities to extend the children's interests in a given area. • Provision of mathematics is very good and underpinned through a range of first hand and valuable practical activities.

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What needs to be improved?

• emphasis on the integration of positive images of culture and ways of life into children's everyday play.

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What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • consistency of children's access to role play and books.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection has been very good. Staff were asked to provide more appropriate resources at snack time so that children were better able to pour their own drinks. Children are now making full use of small glass jugs to help themselves to refreshments.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in personal, social and emotional development is very good overall. They appear confident in accessing resources from the environment and demonstrate increasing personal independence. Their concentration is good and they behave well whilst learning to share and negotiate their needs with others. There are less positive images of different cultures and ways of life to further this aim.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in communication, language and literacy is very good overall. Children listen well and respond with considered thought, for example at circle time. They participate well in early identification of letters and pre-writing tasks. Children use a range of practical games and tasks to support their understanding of letter and word formation but there is limited integration of learning through role play. Children's use of books is inconsistent throughout sessions.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in mathematics is very good. They participate in a wealth of practical activities underpinned successfully by the Montessori curriculum. They increasingly identify numbers, correspond amounts and record numbers which are meaningful to them. The children demonstrate an increasing ability to problem solve through trial and error and match, sort and sequence well throughout everyday activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. Children show interest in the world in which they live and are beginning to ask worthwhile questions and identify features which are important to them. They are increasingly aware of other cultures and religions. Children explore and investigate objects and materials, often building interesting models and pictures which explain their new found knowledge. They make good use of technology to support their learning.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in physical development is very good. Children move freely with increasing confidence and handle tools and equipment with safety and increasing control to support activities such as writing and cutting. The children demonstrate good levels of coordination in moving around the building and often use ball pools and visit local parks and climbing facilities. They show good levels of dexterity using Montessori resources and construct models with growing precision.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in creative development is very good. The children respond well to a varied and sensory environment. They join in with singing and dancing, paint and create models to express their feelings and ideas. Children have good opportunities to explore colour and sound making equipment, to taste and feel and this is supported well by the full Montessori curriculum.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • the integration of more role play and books into children's learning. • ensuring equal opportunities are integral to children's play. The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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